My Condolences To You
by RawrItsLiv
Summary: Continuing on after The Parish. What would happen if the survivors 'missed' the chopper? **THIS STORY HAS BEEN MOVED TO ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN UNDER THE SAME TITLE** I will no longer be updating here, all new chapters will appear on Archive of Our Own!
1. In A Mood

The four survivors had been through hell to get here. Thousands of zombies had stood between them and safety and thousands of the undead had fallen before the barrels of their guns.  
>But the safety they had fought so hard for was gone. The wreckage of the helicopter slowly sank beneath the water until just the tip of a single blade showed.<br>"God damn you, Jimmy Gibbs Jr.!" Nick shouted, cursing the stock car driver he seemed to blame everything for.  
>"Now see, that was just uncalled for." Ellis replied, giving him a wide-eyed look, "If anything, damn that Tank over there." He pointed at the corpse of the mammoth infected.<br>By the time the survivors had reached the end of the explosion torn bridge, the Tank had been hot on their heels. All four had scrambled into the heli, the ramp had been shutting, the Tank had been howling in rage. The bird was ten feet in the air when the chunk of concrete slammed into its side. Nick, showing quick reflexes, had pushed Rochelle out the near closed ramp then dragged Ellis with him. Coach had followed close behind. The survivors landed hard ion the concrete. The Tank roared in pain as a piece of shrapnel from the spinning blades caught in full across the chest, slicing him open and killing it. For this, they were thankful. The meager amount of bullets they had combined with their injuries would have meant a hard fight for the four, one they would have surely lost.

"Well what do we do now?" Rochelle asked, leaning against Coach for support. She was favoring her left leg. Nick turned and threw up his hands in frustration, "The same thing we've been doing for weeks, surviving! We've got to find somewhere to hole up now, get you off that leg and you," he pointed to Ellis, "we need to get that arm bandaged."  
>Ellis nodded and looked at the wound on his forearm, courtesy of a Hunter's claw. "I guess I should be thankin' that guys bad aim! He jumped hisself right off the side!" He said with a small laugh.<br>"Alright people, let's get out of here. No sense in standing around." Coachs' deep voice said. They gathered their fallen weapons and supplies, Nick cursing, again, when he couldn't find his second pistol.  
>Ellis walked to Rochelle, turned, and crouched in front of her, "Hop on up Ro."<br>"Ellis, sweetie, you don't need to do that. I'm fine, really!" She took a step to demonstrate but her ankle failed her and she fell to one sighed and literally threw her onto his back, she weighed so little lately.  
>"Young'un you can't be doing that with your arm." Coach said to him.<br>"Oh it's all good. I don't even feel it anymore." Ellis smiled happily and started walking after Nick, who was already storming away. Coach rolled his eyes at the happy twenty-three year old and followed.

They walked nearly an hour before encountering the infected again. Nick and Coach picked them off easily. Nick, as always, using more ammo than Coach.  
>"I don't know how you are such a bad shot," Rochelle said to the conman from Ellis' back, "it just doesn't seem to fit with your character."<br>Nick scowled and stalked ahead. "I'll look around in these buildings ahead for supplies."  
>Coach gave him a sharp look, "Now Nicholas, don't be going off on your own."<br>"It's fine Coach. I'll stay on the ground floors and signal every, let's say three minutes?" he demonstrated the four note tune that had come to be their call for anything.  
>Nick turned and jogged into a building ahead without waiting for an answer.<br>The remaining three glanced at each other uneasily, but continued their slow advance down the street. When Nick was in a mood it was usually best to let him work through it whatever way he wished.

Nick searched through the stores that lined the street. The odd set-up of the buildings enabled him to go from one business to another without exiting back onto the pavement. Each store had a door leading into the adjacent one. He quickly found a few cans of food that had rolled under the shelves probably during the chaos of evacuation. These he put into his backpack. Food was always nice but right now they needed medical supplies.

He whistled the signal and continued into the next space.

Rochelle, Ellis, and Coach relaxed a little upon hearing the whistle just a couple of doors ahead. They stayed alert for any noise from the infected and walked on.

Nick continued on like this for a while, methodically searching then moving on. He found little after that first store but what he did get was useful nonetheless. An unused pack of batteries for their flashlights, a box of jumbo flashlights, and miraculously, a small stash of pistol, AK-47, and shotgun ammo were all under a loose floor tile. _Clever, _he thought, _almost didn't see it._ He whistled again and squeezed himself through the broken door that joined the two stores. He swept his flashlight over the dilapidated shelves and tables. This place had been ransacked harder than the others.

_ I should probably go back outside; Ellis is going to need a rest and- HOLY HELL!_


	2. The Witching Hour

_ I should probably go back outside; Ellis is going to need a rest and- HOLY HELL!_

He nearly dropped his flash light but caught it just in time. Noise was now his worst enemy.  
>The Witch sat motionless, silent in the corner of the room. She stirred slightly as the beam flashed wildly around the room but stayed sleeping.<br>Nick stood frozen not ten feet from the skinny special infected, his heart beating erratically. There was absolutely nowhere for him to go. The way he had come would be near impossible to go back quietly and the floor around him was littered with broken glass.

_ Shit, shit, shit! _He realized with growing dread that there was no way for him to warn the others. When they didn't hear the signal they would come looking. Nick could picture Ellis, happy Ellis, charging through the door with his Southern accent. He could hear the screams of the Witch as she ran to the mechanic, her arms spread wide, ready to slash him to ribbons.  
>Nick shuddered at the thought. He renewed his searching for an escape route. The distant four note whistle tugged his stare to the cracked, half boarded window.<p>

_ Shit._

"It's been over five minutes." Coach said, a tone of worry in his voice.  
>"Maybe he jus' forgot?" Ellis asked. He had set Rochelle down on the ground and twisted, cracking his back.<br>Rochelle leaned up on the brick behind her, "Nick doesn't forget things. He ignores all day but he doesn't forget."  
>Ellis stopped his stretching and whistled loudly.<br>No reply. The three looked at each other, and through unspoken agreement, started back down the street; This time with Coach carrying Rochelle and Ellis leading with his pistols at the ready.  
>The street was quiet and empty, save for their footsteps and the body of an infected here and there. Coach stopped in front of a half destroyed electronics store. "About here is where we heard the signal last."<br>"Well alright then! Let's get lookin!" Ellis started into the building. He hadn't taken two steps before Coach's hand clasped his shoulder, "Hold on there son."  
>"We don't know what's in there. Nick might be hiding from something," Rochelle said from her spot leaning on a street sign, "or something might be waiting for us."<br>"We need to take this slowly and quietly." Coach agreed.  
>Ellis nodded and near silently, (which was a feat in itself for the man who did nothing quiet.) pushed open the door.<br>The store was, of course, ransacked of everything of value. Ellis did a quick scan then motioned for the others to follow. Coach put Rochelle in the middle as it would be easier to protect her from any infected.  
>They moved swiftly through the stores without any sign until Ellis spoke up, "Look there he is!" he said cheerfully, "Well why is he jus' standing there?" He moved to call to Nick.<p>

Nick stood frozen, his muscles starting to cramp. He had never felt so helpless in his life. Not when both his parents would come home drunk, not when his wife left him, not even when he had been cornered by a Tank back in Savannah. During those times he had options. Here he had none.  
>He tensed even more when he heard Ellis' Southern drawl behind him.<br>The beam of the flashlight caught the Witch full in the face. Her red eyes snapped open and an earsplitting scream emanated from her throat.  
>"Oh shit man! Run, run, run!" Ellis yelled. He peppered the charging the Witch with a burst of gunfire and leapt out of her way.<p>

Nick ran through the twisted metal remains of the door, the Witch had batted it aside as if it were made of Styrofoam. "Let's go Princess." He picked Rochelle up and dropped her out the window to the already waiting Coach.  
>"Ellis!" Nick turned back to the scene in the store. The mechanic was doing a fine job avoiding the Witch. He jumped from shelf to shelf as if they were stones crossing a river. He had managed to get a few more rounds into the Special but nothing substantial.<p>

Ellis jumped again, narrowly missing the swinging claws of the Witch. He heard Nick shout his name and shot a quick glance to him already knowing what he needed to do. He waited until Nick scrambled out of the window to make his move. Ellis jumped right over the Witch's head with a whoop and sprinted after Nick.  
>He was hallway out the window when he felt an odd tugging sensation from his left shoulder down to his right hip, followed by an explosion of pain along the same path. He cried out and fell the rest of the way to the ground.<p>

Rochelle saw Ellis hit the ground and heard the sounds of his pain. She limped over to him as Coach and Nick finally fell the Witch with one final screech. She gasped when she witnessed the full extent of his wound.  
>An angry slash stretched from shoulder to hip. The claw of the Witch had sliced clean through Ellis' t-shirt and his skin. Blood streamed from it, the area round already turning pale.<br>"Good lord…" Coach said quietly from behind her.  
>"Nick! Give me something! We have to stop the blood!" Rochelle yelled to the conman. He was way ahead of her and set to work on the opposite side, giving her a role of gauze as well.<br>Rochelle noted with panic that Ellis wasn't noise anymore._  
>No! He can't die! Not like this!<em> She screamed inside her head. _He's only twenty-three. He doesn't deserve this!_  
>The gauze was quickly soaking through.<p>

"Come on kid, not today." Nick mumbled. Coach stood above them, keeping an eye out for any infected but also mouthing a prayer.

"Looks like you folks need some help."


	3. Safety?

"Looks like you folks need some help."

Nick looked over his shoulder to the source of the voice. A tall man stood there. The face of a little girl peeked out from behind the man's legs.  
>"No, we're fine.' Nick said gruffly.<br>"Nick!" Rochelle replied, completely horrified, "Yes! Please help!"  
>The man strode over, the child right on his heels. He whistled when he saw the amount of blood, "What did this?"<br>"A Witch." Rochelle replied.  
>"A what?"<br>She pointed to the infected, half hanging out the window.  
>"Ah, them crying ones." He rummaged in his bag and brought out a thick cotton pad. He handed it to Rochelle, "Here, put this on it." The stranger tapped Coach on the shoulder, "Hey big guy, help me get some plywood off of something. We've got to move the kid somewhere safe."<p>

They worked fast, pulling down a board from nearby. With help from Nick, they moved the unconscious Ellis onto the makeshift stretcher.  
>"Alright, follow me. I found a saferoom not too far ahead." The little girl reached for the strangers hand and grabbed his fingers. She glanced back to the survivors every now and then with wide eyes.<br>"Is this really such a good idea?" Nick said, readjusting his grip on the board.  
>"Seems to me," Coach said over his shoulder, for he was carrying the front, "that we don't have much of a choice. We need his help if Ellis is going to live through this."<br>"I just don't trust the guy." Nick grumbled.  
>"We have to." Rochelle said quietly. She was nearly running to keep up with the boys with her ankle the way it was. "We have to." She repeated, not taking her eyes of the form on the plywood.<p>

He was so still.

* * *

><p>The stranger had told the truth. They had been walking barely five minutes when the steel door came into view. Stranger ushered them all inside before shutting and barring it. "Set him down anywhere." He said.<br>Nick and Coach gently placed the board in the middle of the room being careful not to jostle it.  
>"Here Alex!" The little girl appeared from a room, dragging a backpack with both hands.<br>"Thank you girlie." The stranger, Alex replied. Moving quickly he produced a bottle of antiseptic and more cotton pads. He started cleaning Ellis' back.  
>Rochelle slipped into another room without notice. <p>

Rochelle sat huddled in the corner of the dark room. The only light came from the doorway through which she could see Ellis' boots and part of Nick and Coach as they assisted Alex. She could never stand the sight of someone close to her injured, especially as bad as it was. When Nick had gotten torn up by a Hunter she hadn't felt this bad. Of course, Nick had gotten up and shot the already dead infected a dozen more times, swearing enough to turn Ellis' ears red.

_Ellis_.  
>Her eyes teared up when she thought of the young, happy-go-lucky mechanic. No matter what happened to them, he never complained. Or when he did it was to Nick to annoy him. Ellis was always trying to cheer everyone up, even if it was at his own expense. Just hours ago he carried her even with his arm cut. That must be why she felt so horrible. Ellis was different from Nick. He seemed so much more innocent.<br>"Your friend looks just like my brother. His name is Jamie." A little voice poked through Rochelle's thoughts.  
>The girl sat herself down and leaned against Rochelle as if it was something she did everyday. "My mommy and daddy named us so we rhymed. Jamie, Hailey, Jamie, Hailey."<br>Rochelle found herself smiling as she rambled on.  
>"Alex is helping me look for Jamie. He thinks he's in the camp back across the big bridge, but since it's broken we have to find a different way across," Hailey looked at Rochelle, "Where are you guys going?"<br>Rochelle blinked at the question. Where were they going? She didn't have an answer to that. All of their hopes had been riding on that helicopter and when it went down, almost with them in it; their hopes had been crushed and drowned. All the four had done for the hours after that had been wandering what was left of the city. She realized Hailey was still waiting for an answer, "Well I don't really know hun." She said, "I don't know."  
>"Maybe you can stay with me and Alex! It'd be awesome to have another girl, Alex doesn't know how to do hair." Hailey crinkled her nose and pulled at the snarled brown mess on her head.<br>Rochelle laughed, "Here, I can help with that."  
>"Really?"<br>"Of course." Being mindful of her ankle, Rochelle crossed her legs and pulled Hailey into her lap. She then rummaged around in her bag until she found the hairbrush she had salvaged from a house.  
>"It's my favorite color!" Hailey squealed, pointing at the bright green handle.<br>Rochelle laughed again and then set to work getting the knots out of the girl's hair.  
>"What's your name?" Hailey asked after a few minutes.<br>"Rochelle."  
>"Rochelle. That's pretty. What about the big man?"<br>"We call him Coach."  
>"And the mean looking one?"<br>Rochelle stifled a giggle, the girl already had Nick pegged, "That's Nick."  
>"And the one who looks like Jamie?"<br>"That must be Ellis." Rochelle replied quietly. Hailey heard her tone of voice and turned to face Rochelle, not caring that her hair was pulled. "Alex will make him better! He's really good at that! I remember when I fell off my swingset at home and scratched my knees all up. Alex made it stop hurting _really _fast!" She beamed.  
>Rochelle couldn't help but smile back. "Alright. Now turn back around, this is going to take a while."<p>

* * *

><p>Nick kneeled next to Ellis. The guy, what had his name been? Adam or something, had just finished stitching together Ellis's back.<br>"All we can do now is wait." Coach said, putting a hand on Nick's shoulder.  
>"You moron," Nick said to the unconscious boy, "You got blood all over my suit!" He stood and looked down, dismayed at the red streaking down his legs. Coach guffawed and slapped him on the back, "Good to know you care Nick."<br>Alex looked confused at the exchange and downright shocked at Nick.  
>"If he hadn't said anything about his suit, I would have booted him out the door!" Coach clarified.<br>"Uh-huh…" Alex said, still lost.

"Alex, Alex, Alex! Look what Rochelle did! She brushed my hair _and _put it in a ponytail!" Came a voice, interrupting what Nick was about to say._ Alex. That's what it was._ He thought as the little girl came barreling out of a room.  
>Alex stooped and caught her, easily picking up the thin child. "Well look at that. Very pretty." He tugged on the end of her ponytail. She giggled and slapped at his fingers.<p>

Nick looked to where Rochelle stood, leaning against the door frame. Her eyes were locked on Ellis, at the neat line of stitching.

"How is um…El, El…" The girl looked to Rochelle for help.  
>"Ellis." Rochelle supplied, softening her gaze when she looked up.<br>"Right, Ellis!"  
>"Hailey, how do you know his name?" Alex asked her.<br>"Rochelle told me all about them!" Hailey exclaimed. She squirmed until Alex set her down. She walked over to Coach and looked up at him, craning her neck to see the tall man, "You're Coach," She turned to look at Ellis, "This is Ellis!"

Then Hailey walked to Nick. She put her hands on her hips and stared him down, "And you're Nick. You should be nicer." There was a stunned silence as everyone stared at a little girl telling off Nick. Nick the conman, Nick the man who took no ones crap.  
>Nick met the little brat's gaze. Who did she think she was? She didn't even know him! He was ready to tell her a thing or two about being <em>nice<em>when Coach's booming laugh distracted him.

Nick glared at Coach to see him doubled over, hand on his knees, laughter shaking his large frame.

"Woo Nick!" he said between laughs, "Ten minutes and she's already got you down!"


	4. Danger where it's least expected

_Did that Witch kill me?_

It was like he was floating. There was nothing to grab and even if there had been, he had no arms to grab with._  
>No, I can't be dead, <em>Ellis thought, _Dead people don't hurt. _For while he was unaware of a body, he was aware of pain. It was all concentrated in one area it seemed, but it wasn't too bad._  
>My back.<em> That's where the claw had gotten him, right? It was hard to remember much of anything. There was a heavy fog covering his mind, slowing down thoughts.

Then he heard voices.

_ Ro! Nick! _Ellis struggled to make out words but the noise was just too muffled. _Damn it. What's the point of being awake if ya can't move or nothing? _Ellis tried focusing on the voices again. This time he could just barely made out Nick, complaining about something._  
>Ugh! <em>He was so frustrated. _I can't move, I can't talk, this sucks! _He yelled inside his head. Then he thought about the pain again. _Now that's just annoying._

It was just there and it kept drawing his attention no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. It was like the time his buddy Keith told him not to think about pizza. Well o' course then he couldn't stop thinking about the stuff! Man, he ate three pizzas that day. Ellis' fingers curled thinking about holding the slice.  
>Wait, his fingers?<br>He tried moving them again. Yes! The feeling in his body was coming back to him. It was going at an agonizingly slow rate, starting with his fingers and toes. Gradually, he could sense his calves and thighs. Then his arms and shoulders.

Finally, after hours it seemed of waiting, he could feel everything; and oh did it hurt. His back was on fire. Not only did it burn, it also stung like it was being jabbed with a bunch of needles over and over again. Any move he made, no matter how small, made it flare up to where he would nearly black out.

"Ellis? I think he's waking up!"

_Must have made a noise._ He forced open his eyes and squinted at Rochelle crouched in front of him. It took him a couple tries but then, "Hey Ro." His voice came out raspy and strained.

* * *

><p>Nick looked over at Ellis from his spot watching out the safe room door. Had the kid just moved? He stared intently for a few moments before deciding it was a trick of the light.<br>Night had fallen a few hours ago and the group set up a watch schedule; Tanks don't always conform to normal sleeping hours.  
>Nick watched outside carefully. He could hear the hacking cough of a Smoker somewhere off in the distance, along with the demented laughing of a Jockey.<em><br>Damn Jockeys. _He turned away from the door to survey the main room. Ellis still lay on his piece of plywood. They had tried to tuck a blanket under him but Alex had warned them not to jostle him too much. They settled for draping it over his legs.

Coach slept propped against a wall. Rochelle was nearer to Ellis with Hailey. Both were on their sides, sleeping peacefully.

Nick sighed and scratched at his arm. It still itched every now and then after a few drops of Spitter acid had landed on it. He was about to turn back to the door when he heard a yawn and Rochelle sat up. Careful not to disturb the girl, she walked over to him.

"Need a break?" she asked.  
>"You know, you should have what's-his-face look at that." Nick gestured to her ankle, which she was still favoring.<br>"It's Alex and I'm fine. I wanted him to focus on Ellis." Rochelle replied.  
>Nick looked at her sternly, "You can suffer for him Rochelle."<br>She fidgeted, "I know, it's just…I feel like if he isn't the only one hurting then it won't be so bad. You know? Maybe I could-," she broke off; tears glistened at the corners of her eyes.

Nick put a hand on her shoulder. He knew how she felt. He would never admit it, but seeing the kid like that reminded him of how vulnerable the four of them were. They had been luck so far. Lucky they hadn't been killed getting that psycho is cola. Lucky that Virgil had gotten there before the Tank destroyed the entire Burger Tank restaurant. Lucky that Coach hadn't been killed when he was pulled off the second floor of the sugar mill by a Smoker.

Plus, Ellis had sort of grown on Nick since they met. Another thing he would never admit.

Rochelle and Nick stood side by side and watched out the window. The noise of the infected had faded away leaving only the faint sound of crickets. There was no light, save for the moon and the dimness of the safe room.  
>Suddenly, Rochelle stiffened and looked over her shoulder, "Ellis? Nick, did you hear that?" she hurried over to Ellis and crouched in front of him, concern written all over her face.<br>Nick followed, "I didn't hear anything." He studied the kid and saw his eyelids twitching erratically.  
>"I think he's waking up!" exclaimed Rochelle.<br>Nick breathed a silent sigh of relief as Ellis' eyes opened and he greeted Rochelle with a gravelly voice.  
>"Hey sweetie, how ya feeling?" she replied in a relieved voice.<br>Ellis groaned, "Like a truck ran over me."  
>"Well you did get taken out by a chick in her underwear." Nick said with a smirk, "That's probably about as close as you'll ever get. I'm not surprised you took it so hard."<br>"Nick!" Rochelle half-yelled.  
>"What?" Nick replied.<br>Ellis looked back and forth between them, completely confused, "I don't get it."  
>"Of course you don't kid." Nick rolled his eyes. "I'll go get what's-his-," Rochelle gave him a look, "Fine. I'll go get <em>Alex<em>." He scowled and walked into the room Alex used to sleep. Nick nudged the sleeping man roughly with his foot, "Hey!" Alex simply rolled time, Nick more or less _kicked _him in the back. "Hey! Wake up! Ellis is awake and-," Nick's breath left him in a whoosh as his back hit the floor. He felt the cold edge of a knife against his neck.


	5. Fears

"Hey! Wake up! Ellis is awake and-," Nick's breath left him in a whoosh as his back hit the floor. He felt the cold edge of a knife against his neck.

"Nick?"

Nick looked up and saw Alex blinking sleep out of his eyes. "Oh shit!" Alex rolled off of Nick and grabbed his hand, hauling the conman to his feet. "Sorry. You uh, kind freaked me out there."

"Obviously." Nick rubbed his arms where the other man's knees had pinned them. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Alex smiled sheepishly, "I was special forces for a while. I can do a lot of things like that."

Nick nodded and filed that information away. "Well uh, anyway, the kid's awake. Figured you should take a look and see how he's doing."

Alex looked confused for a moment then he nodded and left the room.

Nick was uneasy. Alex had put him on the floor with barely any effort. They didn't know anything about the guy but they were forced to rely on him for help. _He's dangerous. As soon as Ellis can handle, we're out of here_

But where would they go? CEDA was long gone and New Orleans was the last place they knew to look for the military.

_Maybe back north? To the bridge? _He wondered if the three they had found there, Louis, Francis, and Zoey, were still alive and holding out. Had they found their boat and left for the Keys?

Nick yawned and swayed on his feet, he needed some sleep. He went back to the main room to check out what was happening.

Coach had taken over watch and greeted Nick when he saw him, "Damn Nick, you need some sleep."

"Tell me about it." Nick looked to where Ellis was laying. The mechanic had fallen asleep again, a fresh bandage stretched across his back. Rochelle and Alex conversed quietly above him.

The little girl was still curled in the corner.

Nick quietly grabbed his pack and slipped into the last unused room in the safe house. He took off his suit jacket and folded it into his bag before collapsing onto the thin mattress.

His head had barely hit the ratty pillow before he was asleep.

A week passed before Ellis could sit with help, another before he could stand and take small steps. He took everything in stride and was careful not to injure himself more.

Hailey had taken a liking to the 23 year old. She asked him to play with her every chance she got. Ellis didn't seem to mind. He seemed to genuinely enjoy having her around.

"Alright, not you fold here to make part a' the wing."

"Like this?" Hailey held up her piece of paper.

"Try to get it more even with the other side." Ellis pointed to where he meant.

"'K."

Nick suddenly stood up in the corner with a noise of frustration, "I am getting _sick _of this place! I'm going to look for supplies."

Everyone fell silent and looked at him.

"What?" He asked. "We _need _them; we have to start stocking up again if we're ever going to get out of here."

Coach came out of one of the bedrooms with a yawn, "He's right. We don't have much left. We'll both go."

Rochelle looked uncertain but then sighed and went to get their packs for them, "Just please be careful." She said.

"We'll be fine," Nick told her, "It's not like we haven't done this before."

"Just don't do anything stupid, ok?" Rochelle replied, handing them their bags.

"Hey! If you guys find any paper, bring it back! This girl's a natural!"

Coach laughed and unbarred the safe room door. "Alright, let's get going so we can get back before dark."

Nick followed him out and waited until he heard the bar slide back into place before heading into the street.

The street was mostly deserted, the hot afternoon sun driving the infected to cooler places. Of course, the sun wouldn't stop a Hunter or a Charger.

"I know exactly where to go." Coach said.

"Which is?"

"Get up on that wall. You should be able to see it." He pointed to a crumbling pile of stones.

Nick did as he was told. _If I break an ankle…_

Balancing on the loose stones he turned until, "You can't be serious." He looked at Coach incredulously, "A _gated_ community?"

Coach shrugged, "Gate's still closed, doesn't look like anyone's home."

Nick slid down to the street, stumbling as he hit level ground. "The gate is _closed _Coach. That means anything inside has been _trapped _unless there was some sort of incentive to climb the wall. That place will be crawling with zombies!"

For the first time in a while Coach got cross with him, "That is the best chance we got for finding everything we need. Rich people have big houses which means big pantries. Rich people have rich kids with big rooms who like to hide things. Plus, we're in the South. If it's one thing people like in the South, it's their guns."

"We haven't searched around here yet. We should see if there's anything in the stores." It was a feeble attempt to fight Coach's logic and authority.

Coach softened his gaze, beginning to understand, "Nick, it won't be like last time." He said gently.

"You can't know that." Nick closed his eyes, images flashing through his mind. The Smoker dragging him out of the window to the garden below. The Tank barreling toward him. The feeling of a wall at his back. The click of an empty gun. And being alone. Completely alone.

"We'll be fine. We've got ammo and,-"

"You don't know that!" Nick exploded, "Look around Coach! You can't predict _anything_ here! We've all proved that! Hell, three weeks ago we were running across that godforsaken bridge pretty sure we were getting picked up by the military!" He stopped and stared at the big man in front of him, breathing hard.

What was wrong with him? He had never snapped at Coach like that before, hadn't snapped at any of the other three before.

Coach stared back steadily, then turned and continues walking down the street.

"Where are you going?" Nick demanded.

"I'm going to that neighborhood. You can head back to the safe room if you want." Coach called back.

Fuming, Nick turned on his heel. _I can't let him go alone. _He realized. _Rochelle would kill me._

Nick started after him.


	6. Scavenging

It took about fifteen minutes to get to the ornate, black gate that protected the uninhabited homes inside.  
>"Let's see if we can push it open." Coach said. Nick grumbled in agreement and braced his shoulder on one of the bars. Coach did the same and together they pushed as hard as they could.<p>

The gate didn't give so much as a squeak.

"Over the wall it is then." Coach said in a slightly unenthused voice. "I'll boost you up."  
>Nick nodded and stepped into Coach's interlocked fingers. Coach pushed him up onto the wall easily. Nick situated himself then offered Coach his hand.<p>

After much grunting and swearing both men were up on the wall.

"How you manage to stay that heavy is beyond me." Nick said teasingly.  
>Coach smiled and hopped off the wall, "It's all muscle." He flexed his arm. Nick had barely heard him. "Shit." He breathed.<p>

Most of the places they had been were half destroyed or cordoned off by CEDA. This was entirely different.

Everything was nearly untouched. Cars were parked neatly in driveways. Front doors were shut and drapes tightly drawn. There was none of the rushed, haphazard signs of evacuation they were used to seeing. The overgrown lawns were the only indication that no one occupied the homes. It was silent and eerie, the wind making no noise as it blew between the houses.  
>Nick shook his head slightly and unshouldered his rifle. He took a step forward but stopped when Coach held out a hand.<br>"Hold on a second. I got something that might make this a little easier." He reached into his bag and pulled out a towel wrapped object.

"No way," Nick said when Coach held up the glass jar. "A bile bomb? Where did you find that?"

Coach grinned, "It was back across the bridge. I never got a chance to use it." He held it out to the conman next to him, "You want to do the honors?"  
>Nick took the glass jar and weighed it in his hand. "Chase this you zombie bastards!" He let the grenade fly.<p>

The glass shattered in the middle of the street ahead of them.

"Nice throw." Coach commented, looking impressed.  
>Before Nick had a chance to respond, a sound they knew all too well reached their ears; the sound of a horde catching the scent.<br>The infected came from everywhere. Most sprinted around houses, some stood up from the grass they had been hidden in, and a couple crawled out from the drained pool near the clubhouse. All of them bunched around the broken glass, clawing at the air and the other zombies around them. About 50 clustered around the bile.

Nick and Coach shot into the horde, careful not to use more ammo than they needed to. It took only a couple of seconds before all the infected lay dead in a pile.  
>"That was easier than I thought it'd be." Nick said, glancing at Coach.<br>"Probably wasn't the whole neighborhood. That should have cleared out enough to search around here though." Coach replied.

The two survivors set out for the nearest house, still slightly wary of their surroundings.  
>Nick cursed when he tried the front door. "Why would you take the time to lock your door in the zombie apocalypse?"<br>"They thought they were coming back." Coach reminded him, pointing at the cars and toys around them.  
>"Oh, right."<p>

Coach broke the small window next to the door with the butt of his gun. It sounded shockingly loud in comparison to the quietness around them. He reached inside and opened the door. They stepped inside and let it swing shut behind them.  
>The house was dark despite the bright afternoon sun, the heavy drapes blocking much of the light. A thin layer of duct covered the furniture and decorations.<br>"Alright," Coach broke the silence with a voice little over a whisper, "I'll look for the kitchen. How 'bout you look for medicine and maybe some clothes. Lord knows we need them."

Nick looked down at himself and grimaced. His once white suit was now streaked with dirt and blood. The blue shirt he wore under his jacket was ripped in several places and threadbare in others. The jacket itself had long tears from encounters with Hunters and the fall he took down the hill behind the Whispering Oaks Motel.  
>"You're right. Damn. I love this suit."<p>

Coach chuckled and took a few steps down the entry hall. "Ok here's the stairs. Kitchen has to be around here somewhere…" His voice trailed off.

Nick took the stairs slowly, with his gun at the ready. He didn't really expect anything to be waiting for him, but it never hurt to stay alert.  
>The first door he tried turned out to be a bathroom. He raided the medicine cabinet and found a single bottle of aspirin. <em>Better than nothing. <em>The drawers under the sink yielded a couple of unopened toothbrushes and unused toothpaste tubes.

Next were the bedrooms.

The first was obviously a little girl's room, pink _everywhere_. The walls, the floor, even the curtains had a pink tint to them.  
>Nick immediately turned and went back into the hall. Then, thinking better, he went back into the pink nightmare. The closet had plenty of clothes to choose from. He picked a couple at random and got out of there as fast as he could.<p>

The master bedroom was incredibly easy to search. The two closets had clothes for Rochelle and Coach. Nick grabbed t-shirts and jeans for each. _Please don't let her take this the wrong way. _He thought as he dropped a bra and underwear into the backpack. A quick search of the attached bathroom gave him some more aspirin and a tiny emergency first aid kit.

The four notes of their signal floated up from the downstairs.

Nick left the room exactly how he found it, minus the clothes and some footprints in the dusty carpet.

"I was right," Coach crowed as Nick descended the stairs, "Big pantry! Bunch of cans, some crackers, bit of cereal, we are good!"  
>Nick couldn't help but grin back, "I found clothes for you and Ro, nothing for Ellis or I though."<br>"That's fine. We'll just go across the street, bound to be something, somewhere for you two." Coach replied.

Nick nodded and together they exited through the front door and jogged across the street to the next house.

* * *

><p>Three houses later the two had found plenty of food, two more first-aid kits, clothes for everyone, and even a precious store of bullets. They decided to hit one more house before heading back to the others.<br>"He had to have been stealing from the military or something!" Nick exclaimed as they walked to the final house, "Pistol ammo, yeah that I can understand having, but M16 and AK-47 bullets?"  
>"And you're against stealing from the army?" Coach asked skeptically.<br>Nick snorted, "No. I wanna know how he did it."  
>Coach smiled and tried the front door. "Huh."<br>"What?"  
>"The door's unlocked." Coach responded. "All the others have been locked right?"<br>"That's weird." Nick said, "Maybe they forgot to lock it when the evacuation started?"  
>Coach shrugged, "Probably." He pushed open the door.<p>

Nick walked backwards over the threshold, making sure no infected were watching them enter. He froze as he felt the barrel of a gun jab into his back.


	7. Surviving

A/N Sorry about the shortness of this scene :S I hit a block and couldn't make it work right!

Nick walked backwards over the threshold, making sure no infected were watching them enter. He froze as he felt the barrel of a gun jab into his back.  
>"Shut it. Then turn around with your hands up."<p>

"What is this, _Cops?_" Nick asked sarcastically, but did as he was told. He saw a man, a woman, and a teenage boy standing in the hallway. All three had a gun pointed at him and Coach.

"Well, this is interesting." Nick remarked.

"Shut up!" The man in front of him commanded. Then, in a normal tone, "Rachel, Thomas."  
>The woman clicked on the flashlight attached to her pistol and shined it directly at Nick.<p>

"Ah! What the hell?" Nick shut his eyes and turned his head from the glare, "What's wrong with you?"  
>"Nicolas," Coach said warningly.<br>"I mean, really? Two people walk in and you point guns at them and blind them? A couple months ago that would have been fine, but _now _when you're surrounded by freakin' zombies? Damn." He rubbed at his eyes, trying to erase the spots in his vision.

The man looked taken aback by Nick's reaction. "We, uh, were checking to see if you were infected."  
>There was a beat of silence then Nick burst out laughing. Even Coach chuckled. "A flashlight?" Nick asked incredulously, "Where did you get that from, a movie?"<p>

The trio looked at him, embarrassed looks on their faces. "They say that their eyes will tell you," The women, Rachel, said slowly, "on the CEDA broadcasts."

"Well, they _are_ right about that but it doesn't take long to change." Coach told them, "You won't have time to test someone who's been bitten."  
>"How do you know?" The teenager, who the man had called Thomas, asked him.<br>"I've seen it. Took about five minutes." Coach replied, looking him in the eye.

Nick nodded, remembering the woman they had found at Liberty Mall.

* * *

><p>She was huddled in the bathroom with a freshly dead zombie at her feet. The crescent shaped bite on her arm stood out like a beacon on her pale skin.<br>Rochelle gasped and immediately left the room, tears already on her cheeks.  
>"Ah, hell." Ellis followed her out.<p>

"Coach," Nick said as the big man approached the woman.  
>"It's fine Nick, she's still got time." He sat down on the floor and gently took her hand.<br>"Please," She said brokenly. Her voice was thick with tears, "don't let me turn into them. Please."  
>"You could be immune." Coach told her, emotion twisting his features. She hiccupped and looked at him, "I'm not. I-I can feel it. It's like fire all over everywhere. Please."<br>"Coach," Nick said urgently, "her eyes." He shined his flashlight at her face. She flinched, but not before they saw the clouds that had already begun to form.

"Please." She repeated with a small sob.

Coach sighed and pulled her to his chest. "It's all gonna be fine now."  
>"Thank you." Her words came out in a strange sort of hiss and her hands curled into claws.<p>

The gunshot echoed through the bathroom.

* * *

><p>"Why are you still here?" Coach's voice broke through the memory, "Did you miss the evac?"<br>The man laughed darkly, "The CEDA evacuation? I wouldn't trust those guys with a cold."  
>"We decided to stay. The army gave us rations and guns. They said they'd come back after two weeks to check up on us." Rachel said.<br>"How long has it been?" Nick asked carefully.

"Almost a month." She replied.

The three lowered their guns and the man held out his hand to Coach, "I'm Brian. This is my wife and son." Coach shook it, "You can call me Coach and this is Nick."  
>Thomas eyed Nick, "A suit?"<br>"Don't knock the suit. It may be the apocalypse, but I still have standards." He huffed.  
>"Whatever." The teenager turned and walked further into the house.<p>

Rachel rolled her eyes at her son then looked at Coach and Nick, "Do you need somewhere to stay? Something to eat? They gave us plenty of rations." She leaned against her husband.  
>"Actually we have to get back into the Quarter before it gets dark." Coach told her, "We've got people waiting on us."<br>The couple in front of him looked surprised, "More people?" Brian asked. "How many?"

"Three adults and one little girl." Coach replied.  
>"We didn't think there was anyone left in the city." Rachel said, her eyes wide.<p>

Nick glanced out the window to the setting sun. He shifted uneasily on his feet. "Coach, it's getting late. We've gotta go."

Coach sighed and scratched his head, "Do you want to come with us?"  
>Nick looked at him sharply, protests already forming. He opened his mouth but Brian cut him off.<br>"No. I may not trust CEDA but I do trust the army. They'll be back." He said confidently, hugging his wife closer.

"Well, alright then," Coach said, "But be careful. Don't go out unless you need to, no lights after dark, and make as little noise as possible. We cleared it out around here but it probably won't take long for them to move back in."  
>"That was you?" Thomas asked as he came back down the hall with a water bottle. He stopped next to his mother, "You guys sent them all running?"<p>

Nick nodded, "Yeah that was us." He paused for a moment, considering his next words. "Another thing to do, watch for Specials. They don't look like the normal ones. You'll know 'em when you see 'em. If you hear anyone crying, leave them _alone_. She'll tear you apart in a heartbeat." A picture of Ellis flashed through his mind.  
>"If you see one that could flip a car, they can. Find somewhere to hide and stay there." He continued, "Coughing, laughing, growling, anything other than the normal sounds mean something that can really make life hard.<br>"Just try to use common sense and you'll be ok."

Nick gave them a quick nod and turned to the door.  
>"Wait! How do you know all of this?" Rachel asked him.<br>"We've lived it." He opened the door and stepped out into the humid evening.

Coach looked after him and looked back at the bewildered family. "Remember what he said." Coach told them, "Thank you for the offer, stay safe."

He hurried after Nick.


	8. A mysterious visitor

A/N I feel like this chapter is super choppy. =/

* * *

><p>"You know, that was a nice thing you did," Coach said when he caught up to the conman, "telling them about the specials."<br>Nick grunted and readjusted the straps on his pack.

The two walked in silence until they reached the gate. Coach found a manual unlock that allowed them to easily push it open.  
>As the gate clicked shut behind them, Nick shook his head, "Why would they stay? How can they think the army is coming when there are bombs falling from the sky?"<br>"Maybe that's what's keepin' their hope alive," Coach replied, "They know the army is still around, so they're hopin' they remember them."  
>Nick shook his head again, "I just don't get it."<br>Coach clasped the younger mans shoulder. "Ah well, let's jus' get this stuff back to the safe room."

Ellis looked up when he saw the flashlight beam sweep across the window. "They're back!" He got to his feet, wincing as his back twinged, and hurriedly unbarred the door to let Coach and Nick in. He shut it tightly behind them.  
>Rochelle appeared and smiled when she heard the solid thunk the bags made as they hit the floor.<br>Alex and Hailey walked out of the bedroom they shared. Hailey put on a stern expression when she saw Ellis. "Hey! You're not supposed to walk anymore today!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him back to his pile of blankets.  
>The others stifled a laugh as the little girl instructed Ellis to sit and then arranged the blankets around him. "There. Now no more walking!"<br>Alex turned from his niece chuckling lightly, "She's definitely sticking to a schedule. Anyway, how'd it go?"  
>Coach grabbed the pack that held the clothes they had found. "Pretty good. We got plenty a' food, a bunch a' first-aid kits, and," he reached in and pulled out a black t-shirt and army green cargo pants, "Clothes for everyone!" Ellis caught the clothes and grinned.<br>Coach handed Hailey hers, who squealed when she saw the color, "Pink!"  
>Rochelle took the offered bag once Coach had taken his own clothes out. She looked in and turned slightly red.<br>Nick grimaced and looked away, embarrassed.  
>Rochelle softened and punched him lightly on the arm. "Thanks for thinking of that." She went to go change, Hailey following after her.<br>"Alright, how do I look?"  
>Coach, Nick, and Alex turned to Ellis. While they had been passing out the rest of the clothes, Ellis had managed to completely change.<br>"Kid, we got you the pants so you didn't have to wear the overalls anymore." Nick said, slightly annoyed.  
>Ellis was standing, moving his arms and legs to make sure everything fit. His bloodstained Bullshifters shirt and filthy jeans were balled up in the corner. The new cargo pants were covered my his mechanics overalls, the sleeves ties around his waist to keep them up. "They're like a sleepin' bag," Ellis told him, "they're warm."<br>Coach shrugged, "Whatever keeps ya happy I guess." He went into his and Nick's room to change.  
>Nick waited until Rochelle and Hailey came back out. They both look relieved to be in clothes that didn't have blood and various zombie bits on them.<br>He went into the room they had left and quickly dressed in the dark jeans, green shirt, and blazer he had found. Like he told the kid, he still had standards.  
>"Nick, come look at this!" Coach called from the main room.<br>Nick walked out and tossed his suit into the growing pile of discarded clothes. Coach had been right, the new clothes were much better than trying to make do with the suit. He made his way over to the door where everyone was clustered, staring at something out the window.  
>"What is it?"<br>Alex, Rochelle, and Ellis moved so he could see. "Straight ahead, on the newspaper dispenser." Rochelle told him/  
>Nick squinted into the dark. As his eyes adjusted he made out a figure crouched on the boxes, motionless and silent. A hoodie hid it's face from view.<br>"A Hunter?"  
>"Why's he jus' sittin' out there?" Ellis asked from behind him.<br>"Maybe he's waiting for us to leave?'' Rochelle said, "He can't get us now but he knows we'll leave eventually?"  
>"Maybe.' Nick murmured. He didn't take his eyes off the infected. What do you want?<br>The Hunter emitted a low growl and leapt into away into the dark.  
>"Well that was weird." Rochelle said, breaking the silence. "Never seen a Hunter do that before."<br>Nick shrugged and yawned, "Whatever. He can't do anything to us. I'll shoot him in the morning if he's still hanging around." He went into his bedroom.  
>"You couldn't hit a Boomer if he was standing right in front o' you!" Ellis called after him. He grinned and started arranging his blankets for sleep.<br>Coach chuckled at the mechanic. "Ah well, time to hit the hay." he said with his own yawn. He followed after Nick.  
>Alex picked up Hailey and they said their good nights before retreating into their own room.<br>"Are ya takin' first watch Ro?" Ellis asked from the floor. "I can do it if ya wanna sleep."  
>Rochelle settled into the chair set up near the door. She smiled at the grogginess in the mechanics voice. "No sweetie you go ahead and sleep."<br>"Well, alright. But you better wake me up for second shift. Don't try goin' all night." He replied sleepily.  
>Rochelle laughed softly, "Goodnight Ellis."<br>"Night Ro," Came the near inaudible reply.  
>Always thinking about everyone else. Rochelle shook her head and laid her pistols in her lap. She settled in for a, hopefully, uneventful watch.<p>

* * *

><p>Rochelle jerked awake. Crap! How long was I out? She peered out the door and was dismayed to see pale sky above.<br>"I cannot believe I did that." Rochelle murmured angrily.  
>"Did what?"<br>Rochelle jumped and whirled to face the safe room. She saw Ellis sitting up, blinking sleep out of his eyes.  
>Rochelle sighed, "I fell asleep. Who knows what could have happened?" She turned back to the door, mentally kicking herself.<br>Ellis got to his feet and stretched. "Oh Ro, it's ok. We've all-" He was cut off by the roar that thundere through the air.  
>"TANK!" Rochelle screamed, seconds before a huge fist crumpled the steel door like cardboard. The crushed metal slammed into her and sent her flying across the room.<p> 


	9. Time to Go

"ROCHELLE!"

Nick was jolted awake by Ellis' screams. He leapt off the mattress and caught the pack Coach tossed him. The two grabbed their guns and raced out to see Ellis kneeling next to their friend.

Alex was there, Hailey clinging to his leg and staring towards the front of the safe room, terror all over her face. Nick could hear the Tank tearing at the wall, trying to make a hole large enough for it to fit through.

"What do we do?!" Ellis yelled, "We're trapped!"  
>"We'll whatever it is we have to do it fast!" Coach shouted. He fired a few shots into the mammoth infected.<br>"The back door!" Alex replied as he pushed Hailey back.  
>"It's blocked i'nt it?" Ellis was supporting Rochelle as she regained her senses, "All the trash back there!"<br>Alex moved to the blank, gray door opposite where the Tank was tearing his way in. "I moved it away! I figured it was a good idea to have a backup plan!" He gave a wan smile.  
>"All right people let's go!" Coach tugged open the door and pushed Hailey out. Ellis and Rochelle followed close behind.<p>

Nick had taken Coach's place and was firing as fast as he could into the massive wall of flesh. The Tank roared even louder as he ripped away another huge section of wall.  
>" Nick! It's time to go!" Alex yelled to the conman.<br>It only took a second for Nick to fire the last bullets in the clip. He turned and raced to the door.

The Tank chose this moment to rip away the last bit of wall preventing him from getting in. He rushed after the two fleeing survivors.  
>"GO!" Alex and Nick sprinted out the door.<p>

The safe room backed up to an alley. It was lined with trash on either side creating a narrow channel. Broken glass from the smashed windows above decorated the ground, it crunched beneath their feet as they ran.  
>The others waited for them halfway down. They had their guns trained in every direction, senses on high alert for anything.<br>"Alex!" Hailey pushed between Coach and Ellis' legs to rush at her uncle.  
>"Stay there Hailey!" Alex told her. She skidded to a stop hearing the tone of his voice. Alex turned to Nick, "The picture of her brother. I must of lost it when we ran."<br>Nick looked at him as he tried to catch his breath, "Yeah, so?"  
>"It's the only one I have. Without it, I cant find him." He looked at Nick pleadingly, "It has to be in the alley."<br>"Are you crazy?!" Nick looked at him incredulously, "There is a Tank in there, a _Tank_. I'm not going to anywhere near it." He turned his back on the ex-soldier.  
>"Please."<br>Nick stopped when he heard the broken voice behind him.  
>"He's her whole world. It's all I can give her now."<br>Nick sighed and turned around. "Let's make this fast."  
>Alex nodded.<p>

"Nick!"  
>Nick looked over his shoulder to Rochelle. "We'll be right there. Watch our backs."She started to protest but Nick ignored her and caught up with Alex.<p>

The two carefully picked their way down the narrow alley, hyperaware of the frustrated roars the Tank still smashing apart the safe room. The door hadn't completely shut behind them, giving an occasional glimpse of mutated flesh.

"You see it?" Nick whispered. He was already regretting agreeing to help.  
>Alex pointed ahead of them with a grimace. The picture was lying barely two feet from the door.<br>"You have got to be kidding me." Nick muttered. He shifted into a crouch as Alex kept creeping forward.

The Tank had stopped crashing around. Nick could hear it's heavy breathing as it listened for any trace of the survivors  
>It felt as if it took hours for Alex to reach the tiny picture on the ground. Nick had a fleeting moment of victory as survivor picked up the paper. The moment was shattered as a high pitched screech came from above.<p>

"Run!" Nick yelled to Alex, but he was drowned out by the answering roar of the Tank.  
>Alex had barely taken a step before the wall exploded outward, Knocking him off his feet and showering bits of stone and glass over everything.<br>"Shit!" Nick raised his gun and shot was left of his ammo into the Tank which was now looming over the dazed Alex.  
>The beast roared but stayed focused on the downed survivor in front of it. Nick watched helplessly as the Tank picked up the soldier and threw him into the brick of a building.<br>"ALEX!" Hailey screamed in terror.  
>"Nick! DUCK!" Without thinking Nick hit the dirt. When Ellis said to duck, it was usually a good idea.<p>

Bullets whizzed overhead, burying into the infected. The Tank abandoned its search for Alex and looked for the cause of the annoyance. It's tiny eyes locked on Nick. It bellowed and started down the alley.

Nick tried to sprint away but his feet tangled in trash and he went down hard. His head smacked the pavement making him see stars. He flipped on his back and blinked, trying to clear his vision. What he saw froze him in place.

The Tank was intent on him, running as fast as its mass would allow. Every step it took shook Nick to the core. _MOVE_! He screamed to himself but his muscles wouldn't respond. Another round of gunfire passed overhead but it did nothing to stop the infected.  
>As it got closer, Nick cursed himself for freezing. Now Coach, Ellis, and Rochelle were going to see him crushed to death because of his weakness.<br>The ground shook and he knew it was right on top of him. He braced for the pain.

* * *

><p>AN I am very sorry for the long hiatus! But I am back and ready to roll! I have three or four chapters ready to be typed so we should be good! Enjoy~


	10. Don't Be Scared

Ellis watched as Nick and Alex crept back down the alley. "What are they doin?!"  
>"Well whatever it is, when he gets back Im'a knock some sense into them." Coach said tensely.<br>"Rochelle, I'm scared." Haileys' small voice came from behind them.  
>"It'll be ok sweetie." Ellis heard Rochelle tell the little girl.<p>

Ellis kept his eyes locked on the two men as they cautiously advanced. He was very confused, Nick was never _this_ reckless!  
><em>Hurry up Nick,<em> the mechanic thought anxiously. He saw Alex point at the ground near the door. He continued forward while Nick crouched where he was.  
>"Shit," Coach hissed, "Ellis look."<br>Ellis followed Coachs' pointed finger. A dark figure was perched on the edge of the building that made up one wall of the alley. "Is that?"  
>"Hunter." Coach confirmed.<br>Ellis reached for the pistol strapped to his thigh, confident he could hit the infected. Coach smacked his hand away, "No, the Tank will hear!"

The Hunter looked back and forth between the two groups of survivors, as if deciding which would be the easiest catch. Ellis flicked his eyes back to Nick and Alex to see where they were. He saw Alex holding something in his hand and Nick motioning him to get moving.

Then the Hunter screamed.

The safe room exploded apart as the Tank roared and smashed his way outside. The flying pieces knocked Alex off his feet.  
>"Rochelle! Stay with Hailey!" Coach yelled, "Come on Ellis!" The two of them took off down the alley.<br>Ellis watched in horror as the Tank picked up Alex and tossed him aside like a rag doll.  
>"ALEX!" Hailey screamed as he hit the brick.<br>Ellis raised his gun, "Nick, duck!"

As soon as Nick hit the ground Ellis and Coach opened fire. The Tank turned as the bullets hit. It started running forward, heading straight for their friend on the ground.  
>"Shit." Coach muttered as Nick tripped and went down again. He frantically tried to reload, "Dammit Nick, move!"<br>_No, no, no! _Ellis reloaded quicker than ever before and made sure very bullet found its' way into the flesh of the Tank. "NICK!"

The Tank loomed above Nick. Thin streams of blood trickled from the bullet holes that peppered its' body.

Ellis threw away his AK and and grabbed the pistol.

The Tank raised its' massive arms above its' body.

With a cry Ellis fired the last few shots and dropped to his knees certain he was about to see his friend crushed.

The Tanks' arms fell, but not on Nick. The enormous infected wobbled and, with a final roar, fell to the side.  
>A stunned silence filled the alley. Ellis stared at the Tank, his mind spinning.<br>"Nick!" Coach ran by, snapping Ellis back. He scrambled to his feet and caught up to Coach as he reached the conman.

Coach crouched next to the prone survivor and lightly touched his shoulder. Nick flinched violently, his entire body tensing.  
>"Nicolas, it's Coach. The Tank's dead."<br>Slowly, Nick turned his head and looked at Coach. Ellis nearly took a step back. Nicks' eyes were wide and there was something in them that Ellis had never seen before nor had ever thought he would.  
>Terror.<br>Ellis had seen the man face down hordes. He had navigated the flaming Vannah without blinking an eye. Ellis didn't think Nick knew how to be scared.  
>He watched Coach help Nick to his feet. The conman shook his head a few times before saying something to Coach and glancing at the dead Tank. Ellis sighed in relief as Nick swore colorfully and kicked the infected.<p>

* * *

><p>AN I'm very happy with the way this came out! I hope you are too! Apologies on the length, I couldn't find a decent place to cut between this one and the next. I promise the next will be longer! Enjoy~


	11. Pain

Nick winced as his foot came in contact with the rock hard muscles of the Tank.

"You sure you're ok?" Coach asked him again.  
>"Yeah I'm fine. It never touched –"he broke off as he remembered the soldier. He rushed to the edge of the alley, "Shit!"<br>Alex was lying on his back; blood caked the side of his face but, his eyes were open. He groaned as Coach grabbed his hand and hauled him to his feet. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I've had worse."  
>"Alex!" Hailey flew past the others and latched onto her uncle. "Are you ok?!"<br>He grimaced and gently pulled her arms from around him. "I'm ok," he told her with a tight smile, "but I think I might be a bit sore for a while."  
>"Yay!" Hailey did a small jump then gently took her Uncle's hand. "I love you Alex."<br>"I love you too girlie."

Nick rolled his eyes at the scene, "Yeah, yeah everyone's happy. Can we get out of here?"  
>Ellis chuckled, "Love you too Nick!" He picked up the conman's empty weapon and held it out. Nick grabbed the gun and swiftly reloaded it with the ammo from his pack. He just wanted to get as far as possible from this place. He set off down the alley but had only taken a couple of steps before he heard a grunt of pain.<p>

Alex was doubled over, one arm wrapped around his ribs and the other holding on to Coach for support.

"Alex, what's wrong?" Hailey asked fearfully.  
>"Might be a rib, that Tank hit ya pretty hard." Coach lightly probed Alex's side but pulled back when the man sucked in a pained breath. "Something's screwed up in there." Coach said.<br>"Where can we take 'im?" Ellis asked as he scanned the rooftops, "Safe room's busted and we can't cross the river."  
>"What about that house Coach and Nick found? You said there were people there." Rochelle suggested.<br>"Good idea Ro. We can try there." Coach replied, "We gotta be careful though, Nick and I cleared it out pretty well but who knows what might have moved back in." Coach carefully put Alex's arm around his shoulder, taking as much weight as he could.  
>Alex's face twisted in pain and he leaned heavily on the other survivor. Hailey looked up at him, fear still apparent on her face. Then, suddenly, she straightened up and announced, "Don't worry Alex! We'll fix you just like we did Ellis and then we'll all go find Jamie!" she smiled broadly, pleased with herself.<br>Everyone chuckled at the little girl's enthusiasm.  
>Ellis shouldered both his pack and Alex's, "Alright, let's get movin' 'fore it gets dark!"<p>

* * *

><p>It was slow going. They had to stop frequently when Alex's breathing became too labored. Nick and Rochelle took point, watching for any surprises. Coach, supporting Alex, followed behind with Hailey. Ellis was bringing up the rear, keeping an eye out for anything that got too curious.<br>Nick glanced around quickly; he was becoming increasingly uneasy as the sun dipped toward the horizon. Rochelle nudged him softly, "You ok?"  
>"Yeah. Fine." He replied in his usual fashion.<br>"Ok."  
>Nick looked at her, "What? You aren't going to psychoanalyze me, give me an inspirational quote or two?"<br>She didn't answer. Now Nick knew something was going on. He poked her again, "Hey! We're going to be living the cushy life when get to the house! We'll stay there, rest up, and figure out what we are going to do next. No sleeping on moldy beds for a few days!"  
>She smiled slightly, but then sighed and looked at the ground.<br>Nick looked at her with confusion. She was usually right there with Ellis on the "everything is going to be ok!" scale. "What's eating you?" he asked.  
>She mumbled something incoherently.<br>"What?"  
>"It's my fault." She said so quietly he almost didn't hear.<br>"What is?"  
>"All of this! Alex is hurt, you almost..." She couldn't bring herself to say it. "It's all my fault."<br>"What do you mean? It's not like you went up and punched soldier over there into a wall." Nick almost smiled at the visual, "It was a _Tank_, how is that on you?"  
>"Because I fell asleep!" Rochelle replied fiercely, "If hadn't done that I would have seen it coming and warned everyone!"<br>Nick stopped and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "We don't need you thinking like that. Remember when I fell off during watch in Savannah? We woke up to the sweet smell of Boomer bile! That horde lasted 15 minutes!  
>"And Ellis? He passed out and a Smoker got you!"<br>She looked down again and Nick gave her a small shake. "We've all done it." It's bad enough with the zombies, he didn't need this to deal with too.

"Everything ok?"

Nick turned and saw Coach and Alex slowly catching up.  
>"Yep! We're good!" Rochelle gave them a strained smile and shook off Nick's hands.<br>Ellis came up behind the pair and slung his gun over his shoulder, "Hey Coach, I'll take over now."  
>Alex spoke up, "Actually, how about you Nick? Ellis we need you keeping watch."<p>

Nick eyed the man, wondering what he was thinking, it was Ellis' turn.  
>Alex seemed to notice Nick's hesitation, "No offense Ellis, but you're smaller than me so I feel like I'm squishing you."<br>"No offense Alex, but you kinda were." He grinned and brought his gun back to his hands.  
>"Whatever." Nick shrugged and stepped to Coach. They slowly transferred Alex to Nick. The soldier took shallow breaths as his body complained about the movement. Nick waited until he felt the other survivor grip his shoulder securely, "You good?"<br>"Yeah, fine." Alex said through gritted teeth.  
>Hailey took his other hand softly and the group continued down the road.<p>

Only a few minutes later Alex slowed, then stopped all together. He sagged against Nick, "I've gotta sit." He gasped.  
>"We're almost there!" Nick urged the man. The light was fading too fast for Nick's liking. He tried to pull the man along but stopped when the soldier grabbed his jacket.<br>"Nick. I have to sit." Alex looked at him pleadingly. The look in the other man's eyes convinced Nick and as carefully as he could, he helped the Alex sit against a ruined storefront.  
>"Alex what's wrong?" Hailey kneeled beside him.<br>He smiled at her, trying to hide his pain, "I just have to sit for a little bit. Remember when you broke your ankle at school and sometimes just had to sit down?"  
>"Yeah, I remember! I kept getting super tired really fast! Is that what's happening to you?" She looked at him curiously.<br>"Yep, just like that." Alex squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep, pained breath. "C'mere Hails." He patted the ground next to him.  
>Hailey gingerly sat down, just barely brushing his arm. Alex sighed and pulled her closer, his face twisting.<br>"But I'm hurting you!" Hailey said quickly.  
>"I'm ok." Alex pushed some hair from the girl's face. "I love you very, very much Hailey. You know that right?" he said slowly.<br>"Well duh!" She replied with a broad smile, "And I love you too!" she snuggled a bit closer into his side. "And when we find Jamie he'll say that too and we'll all be together!"

Nick turned away and looked at Ellis and Coach with a grim expression.  
>"Ah shit man, that ain't fair." Coach said murmured.<br>Ellis looked between them confusedly, "What ain't fair?"  
>Nick clenched his fists, "Life Ellis. Life isn't fair."<p> 


	12. Loss and Promises

Nick clenched his fists, "Life Ellis. Life isn't fair."

Alex sat with Hailey as long as he could. Then, he gave her a final squeeze and looked down at his niece. "I think there's a garden down the street there." He pointed at a gate situated down the road, barely visible through the thick vines covering it. "Maybe Rochelle will take you to see if there are any flowers?" Alex glanced up at Rochelle.  
>Rochelle nodded quickly and held out her hand, "I'm sure we'll find something pretty!" Her voice was steady, but her eyes glistened with tears.<br>"Are you sure?" Hailey asked her uncle.  
>"Go on." Alex told her.<br>"Ok!" Hailey jumped up and grabbed Rochelle's hand. She gave Alex a little wave and the two set off. The older woman glanced back at Alex.  
>He nodded and mouthed, "Thank you."<br>She gave a slight tip of the head in response and resumed talking with the girl.

Alex looked after them, pain evident in his face. Then, he let out a string of hacking coughs. As his hand left his mouth, Nick saw the blood.  
>"Oh, shit." Coach crouched next to him, "What can we do?"<p>

"Nothing."

"What're you talkin' about?" Ellis exclaimed, "We aren't jus' going to stand here and let you die!"  
>Alex sighed and slowly, painfully, rolled up his shirt. They all stared at the enormous red bruise that covered the entire right side of his abdomen.<br>"I've seen this before. It doesn't end well." Alex dropped his shirt and rested his head back on the wall. He looked up at the survivors, "Can I talk to Nick alone?"

Coach nodded and crouched down. He put a hand on the man's shoulder, "Godspeed."  
>"Thank you."<br>Coach stood and moved toward the middle of the street, watching for any stray infected.  
>Ellis put a big smile on his face, "Don't worry Alex, I'll teach her everything I know!"<br>"Is that a good thing?"  
>"Of course it is!" Ellis claimed. He turned to join Coach.<br>"Ellis!"  
>The mechanic looked over his shoulder, "Yeah?"<br>Alex dipped his head, "Thanks for making her laugh."  
>Ellis' smile faltered for a moment, "No problem."<p>

Nick watched Ellis walk away. The mechanic's shoulders were stiff and Nick knew he was trying not to cry.  
>Alex began coughing again, much more violently than before. As the fit subsided he wiped away more blood from his mouth. "I need you to do something for me." He said as he reached into his jacket pocket.<br>Nick looked down at Alex's outstretched hand. A teenage boy smiled back at him with messy, dark hair nearly covering his eyes. Alex pressed the photo into Nick's hand, careful not to bend it. "That's about a year old. He should be sixteen now. He was evacuated from a summer camp outside the city and ended up somewhere across the river. That's where the military set up at."  
>"You want us to go find this kid?" Nick asked incredulously.<p>

"His name is Jamie."

"No way! We almost got blown up getting across the goddamn river the first time! What makes you think we'd go back?" Nick hissed.  
>Alex opened his mouth but Nick cut him off, "How do you even know the camps are still there?" Nick knew he was being a dick to the dying man but he was on a roll, "They blew the bridges to keep the infected out! I've been on both sides, there are infected <em>everywhere<em>!"

The soldier suddenly grabbed Nick's shirt and yanked him to eye-level with surprising strength, "Cut the tough guy act Nick. I saw what happened in that alley."  
>Nick glared at him, "You didn't see shit."<br>"But I also saw you two weeks ago. You waited until the last second to leave that window. You care for those people whether you like it or not." Alex pushed the conman away weakly, his strength failing. He took something off his neck and held it out to Nick.  
>He hesitated before taking the dog tags.<br>"You protect her. You protect her and find her brother," Alex's voice was low and threatening, "He's all she's got left."  
>"We can barely take care of ourselves." Nick replied, but there was no bite left in his words. The soldier had voiced exactly what Nick thought would never happen.<p>

Alex's head slumped against the wall and he smiled weakly, "You already have one kid to take care of, I'm sure you can handle another." The grin slipped from Alex's face and was replaced by a grimace of pain. "Please, don't let her see me." He rasped.  
>"I won't." Nick promised.<br>The soldier's eyes closed and he took a few shallow breaths. Then, he was still.

They worked quickly. Coach and Ellis moved the body inside while Nick found cardboard to cover him with. Ellis produced a black marker and had written "Alex" on the wall.  
>"What's his last name?" the mechanic whispered.<br>"Give me that." Nick snatched the marker and with a quick glance at the id tags, finished the words.  
>"Alex Meyer. Uncle, brother, soldier, friend." Coach read. He nodded solemnly, "That's good Nick."<br>"Yeah, whatever." He turned and walked to the door. As Coach and Ellis passed him after saying their final goodbyes, Nick looked over his shoulder at the fallen survivor. He nodded once before hurrying after the others.

As they neared the garden Hailey tore around the corner, yellow daisies clutched in her fist, "Look what Rochelle found!"  
>She ran past Coach and Ellis but stopped short when she saw only Nick. "Where's Alex?" she looked around and noticed Ellis, "Why do you have his backpack?"<br>Ellis looked at the bag in his hand as if it was going to explode.  
>Rochelle crouched in front of the girl, "Hailey-,"<br>"Where is Alex?" Hailey asked slowly.  
>"He isn't with us." Coach said as gently as possible.<br>"What do you mean? What did you do to him?!" her voice rose.  
>Rochelle put a hand on Hailey's shoulder, "Sweetie, that Tank hurt him really bad and,"<br>Hailey shoved Rochelle away and backed up a step. "You're lying! Nothing can hurt Alex!" The others flinched at the shrillness of her voice and adjusted their grips on their guns.

She suddenly took off past Rochelle, "ALEX!"  
>Nick caught her easily.<br>"Let go, let me go!" she squirmed in his grip.  
>"Nick…"<br>He looked at Coach to see him pointing down the street. Nick glanced over his shoulder and saw a single infected shuffling onto the street.  
><em>Time to go.<em>

Without letting go of her wrist, Nick shouldered his gun and picked up Hailey, pushing her face into his chest. She beat at him with her little fists, her cries muffled by his jacket. The group set off at a slow run.

Nick didn't look back. None of them did. Their thoughts were on the safety they hoped was still there.


End file.
